A message from Dr. David Duffy, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (PCSU), University of Hawaii (posted 05 November 2012):

Because of a lack of funds, HEAR (www.hear.org) may close as soon as December 15, although there may be enough funds to extend it until February 15. This will mean several things. The web site will be placed on a new server although it is not clear who will pay for the server or for transitioning the site. HEAR data will not be updated. The Pacific Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (http://www.hear.org/pier/abtproj.htm) site will also become frozen, as will numerous books, reports and papers (http://www.hear.org/). As software evolves we will likely lose the ability to access the data. The various list servers will need new owners, otherwise moderated lists will cease to function altogether, while other lists will not be able to add or delete members. The photo collection (http://www.hear.org/starr/images/?o=plants) will remain accessible, but only through a third party site that will charge for access.

I should point out that we have already lost the original homes of both the Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) and Pacific Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) although they have found temporary refuges. Together with HEAR, they represent the corporate memory both here in Hawaii and across the Pacific of efforts to sustain our natural ecosystems and agriculture against problems caused by species alien to the islands. HEAR also serves as the glue that holds the community together, providing information and facilitating communication. I just hope hindsight is kind to this decision.

Kappaphycus alvarezii is a tough, fleshy, firm marine algae ("seaweed") up to 6 feet in length. Its coarse thalli (plural of thallus, a plant body that is not differentiated into root, stem or leaf) are approximately 1/2 inch in diameter. The thalli are heavy, with major axes relatively straight, lacking secondary branches near the tips. It is frequently and irregularly branched, most branches primary. Shiny green to yellow orange, it has a variable form, from a few small branches in shallow water to tangled and gnarled in deeper water, and it may be loosely attached to broken coral or floating, sometimes in large, moving mats. It typically occurs in waters 3 to 50 feet deep.
Kappaphycus species are among the largest tropical red algae, with a high growth rate (can double in biomass in 15 to 30 days). It was thought until recently that their only method of dispersal was by vegetative fragmentation, which was thought to limit their expansion. Reproductive Kappaphycus has recently been found in Kaneohe Bay (Oahu). Kappaphycus species are among the largest tropical red algae, with a high growth rate (can double in biomass in 15 to 30 days). It was thought until recently that their only method of dispersal was by vegetative fragmentation, which was thought to limit their expansion. Reproductive Kappaphycus has recently been found in Kaneohe Bay (Oahu).

Taxonomy & nomenclature

Kappaphycus alvarezii information from ITIS
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System ITIS provides authoritative taxonomic information on Kappaphycus alvarezii, as well as other plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

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